The invention relates to sensors for in vivo monitoring of an analyte, in particular to devices for inserting a sensor into a subject.
For the proper management of chronic health conditions it may be crucial for a subject to periodically monitor one or more analyte levels in his or her blood stream. In the case of diabetes the subject routinely monitors the glucose levels to avoid hypoglycemic episodes and hyperglycemic episodes. For other situations where health monitoring is important, other analytes, such as lactate or oxygen, may be measured.
A typical means of performing such monitoring is the repeated drawing of blood by the subject to provide a sample for analysis by a monitoring system. This provides a cost effective way monitoring chronic diseases such as diabetes, but it may be inconvenient and only provides data on the analyte concentration at the time intervals when the test was performed.
Systems have also been developed which allow a sensor to be implanted into a subject to monitor the analyte concentration directly within the bloodstream or within the interstitial fluids. For instance, an electrochemical sensor may be inserted into a subcutaneous region of the subject where the analyte concentration is continuously monitored and/or logged.
For instance, United States patent application US 2008/0242962 A1 discloses a monitoring system for monitoring analyte concentration, such as glucose, with an implantable sensor.
A disadvantage of current systems for inserting subcutaneous sensor systems is that the they may require that an inserter is used each time a sensor is inserted into a subject. A further disadvantage of current systems is that typically a large volume and amount of packaging is used.